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Guilt-ridden and despondent over the death of his wife, resigned FBI Agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio
Banderas) spends his time drinking to self destruction until he is coaxed by his former boss to rejoin the agency for a very important mission. Highly skilled, only he
can neutralize the deadly female assassin named Sever. Sever (Lucy Liu) a former DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) agent is consumed with bitterness and hatred for her
former DIA boss Robert Gant (Gregg Henry) whom she blames for the death of her son in one of their operations.
Highly talented, wily and vengeful, she goes on a killing rampage against Gant and his men. She also kidnaps Gant's son in whom he has imbedded the vial of biological warfare injectable which he intends to smuggle to Vancouver. Much coveted by international spies, the electronic assassination device can be injected under the skin and cause a heart attack when activated by remote. The first time Ecks and Sever encounter each other, they are on different sides of the law but a discovery of Gant's devious undertakings makes them realize they have a common enemy.
By drumming up interest in the so-called DIA, the virtually unknown "twin" of the better-known
CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the filmmakers probably hope to make this film more "palatable" to the jaded appetites of the action picture fans. However, the film
does not come out any notch higher than the run-of-the-mill pictures of this genre.
It is overloaded with explosions, special effects, killing rampages and fighting sequences but it is short on sense, continuity and coherence. Actually, it is already halfway into the picture when the viewer figures out who is against who and it is not Ecks vs. Sever. The popular leads Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu have their drawing power but they hardly talk. There seems no need for speech. Their bullets and explosives speak for them. This picture shows the growing trend to exhibit the martial arts prowess of female stars. Lately, we have the pleasant surprise of Jennifer Lopez in
Enough, Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Tuxedo in addition to known Kung-Fu expert Michelle Yeoh in The Touch and the equally skilled Lucy Liu in this picture.
Although the villain (often depicted as synonymous with evil) gets his just deserts at the end,
this picture has minimal positive values.
The pervasive violence resonates from beginning to end. There is deception, underhanded tactics, deep hatred and a thirst for revenge. There is also little regard placed on human life, as when Gant says that there are no innocent casualties, only killers and victims, for the priorities are objectives and targets. On the contrary, love for family is a value we all appreciate. This and the loss of loved ones are the motivations for a lot of the fighting, killing and getting back at the villain. But can one take the law into his/her own hands?
(Date reviewed: October 18, 2002)
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